Henry price ball



(No Model.)

' H; P. BALL.

ADAPTER FOR. LAMP SOCKETS.

No. 498,374. Patented May 30, 1893.

UNITED. STAT S;

PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY PRICE BALL, OF SCHENECTADY, ASSIGNCR TO THE EDISON GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ADAPTER FOR LAMP-SOCKETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,374, dated May 30, 1893.

Application filed July 6, 1892. Serial No. 439,123- (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern: I,

. Be it known that I, HENRY PRICE BALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, and State of New York, have invented a certain new anddescent lamp socket made for one type of lamp, with a different type.

The main object of the invention is to provide means bywhich sockets of the -wellknown Edison type may be used without modification in connection with lamps having screw-threaded insulating necks with two terminals on the end thereof, and not having one terminal in the form of a screw-threaded metal sleeve surrounding the neck, as in the common form of Edison lamp.

The invention consists in an adapter for Edison sockets, of such construction that it can be inserted into such a socket, and will extend the terminals-thereof so as to co-operate with a central pin terminal and a ring or edge terminal on a lamp; when a lamp with such terminals is screwed therein so as to bring its terminals near the bottom of the adapter and the invention consists also in several combinations hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of an Edison socket, an adapter and lamp, the lower part of the socket being broken away and the adapter being in section. Fig. 2 is an end view of the socket, looking into the sleeve terminal. Fig. 3 is an end view of the adapter looking into the open end; and Fig. 4 is an end View of the lamp.

In the common formof Edison lamp, the neck is provided with a screw-threaded sleeve, to which one end of the filament is connected, said sleeve being adapted to be screwed into a screw-threaded sleeve in a socket and to make electrical contact therewith; such lamp has also a central plug or terminal connected to the other end of the filament and adapted to make contact with a'central plug or spring in the socket to complete the circuit. It has recently been proposed to do away with the screw-threaded metal sleeve on the neck of .used in the old form of Edison socket-now in extensive use, since there is no terminal on the new form of lamp to co-operate with the screw-threaded sleeve of the socket. By the present improvement, means are provided by which the sockets are adapted to receive said new form of lamp.

In the drawings, 1 indicates an ordinary form of Edison socket, havingascrew-threaded metal sleeve 2, which is designed to be connected to one circuit wire, and a central terminal 3 to be connected to a second circuit wire, this terminal, in the present case, being shown as a spring resting in a recess in the insulating body 4, but which, by the key 5, can be moved toward and from the central terminal of a lamp when the latter is in the socket. 6 is a screw-threaded metal sleeve, of such size that it will screw into the sleeve 2 and make good electrical connection therewith. This sleeve forms the body of my adapter. One end of this sleeve is turned in, as indicated at 7, but has a central opening, within which is a metal eyelet or rivet 8, passing through the metal plate or washer 9 and the two insulating washers 10, one of which lies between the metal washer 9 and the edge of the flange 7 to insulate said parts, as clearly shown.

To the flange 7, on the inside of the sleeve, is secured a contact device, such as a spring 11, adapted to bear against a lamp terminal directly on the end of the lamp neck. The spring, which has an enlarged end with a hole larger than the central rivet, is shown clamped between flange 7 and one of the washers 10.

12 is a lamp, having ascrew-thread formed in its glass neck.

13 is a central pin or terminal, and 14 is a ring or edge terminal concentric therewith, connected respectively to opposite ends of the lamp filament. By placing the contact 11 as well as 8 at or near the bottom of the sleeve, that is, at a distance below the top of the sleeve suflieient to allow the insulating lampneck to be screwed into the sleeve, the lamp can be screwed into said adapter and held in place without diificnlty.

The mode of using the devices described is as follows:--When a lamp, 12, is to be used with an old socket having a sc 'ew-threaded sleeve, the adapter is screwed into said socket sleeve until the disk 9 rests against the central socket terminal, or directly over it, if

the socket key is in its open position, and

the lamp is then screwed into the adapter, the

glass neck being sufficiently small to enter the same, until the v ew ma es contact with the eyelet on rivet 8, and until the ring 14 makes contact with spr ng W thin the adant v, wh Practi ally fo ms an extension of the ocke e e termina I do not limit. myself to just the rm of contact de ices des ribed in the a aptertsince these may be vari d without depart ng iiiein my inventi n,

I consider it medly new iopmv dea screwreade sle ve adaptee with c ntactsso rme o he te at o near the bottomther of as to tempe ate withtwo end contrac s one lamp having n insulating necks- What I claim is- A p r or sockets, cons stin of a screw-threaded co d cting sleev having in it at or near its bottom two contacts insulated from each other and in position to co-operate with two terminals directly on the end of a lamp when the latter is screwed into the adapter, substantially as described,

bottom a central insulated contact and an edge contact spring in metallic connection with the screw-threaded sleeve, both contacts i being in position to make contact with terminals on the end of a lamp when the latter is screwed into the adapter, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in an adapter, of a ,screw-threaded sleeve, an interior edge contact, and a central contact, consisting of an insulated eyelet or rivet, to the outer end of which is connected a metal disk or washer,

substantially as'descri-bed, i

4 he combination, n an adapter, of a screw-threaded sleeve having an inwardly 1 turn d flange-at one and, insulatin washers 1 clamping ai flange; an a cent al insulated contact, carried by said insulating clamping e s a ated thereby from thesleeve, substantially as described;

The c mbination, inan adapter, of a .s ewth reade sleeve having aninwavdiy turned flange at one and, acentral contact,

insulating washers 1" ,11,and ametal disk or washer. connected to the central contacnisnb stentially as described,

This specification signedand witnessed this HENRY PRICE BALL; Witnesses:

W. GILMORE,

A. WEBER. 

